Why do white potatoes have such a bad Rep?
Replies
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If you dont over-eat them they are fine in simple baked or mashed form. However the problem once you start to say this is ok and oh some pasta wont hurt and some rice - before you know it you have a diet very high in carbs. Which is fine if you can balance it and not gain weight - but I offer as evidence majority of our population which seems to have a problem with the balance part. Everything is fine in moderation. But most people tend to suck at the moderation part of that statement. Otherwise this site and this thread would not exist.
Excess carbs aren't the problem, excess calories are. Weight gain/loss/maintenance are about calories, calories and yep-calories
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halimaiqbal00 wrote: »Why are white pasta and white rice bad? Because they're stripped of their nutrients but I shouldn't worded that better-I mean they're not as healthy as their wholewheat and wholegrain counterparts
The brand of white bread I bought has nearly identical nutrition info as the whole wheat counterpart, aside from the whole wheat having 1 gram more of fibre and half gram less of fat. The only difference between the same brand of white pasta and whole grain pasta I buy is the whole grain has 1 gram more of fibre. Totally stripped of nutrients.9 -
JeromeBarry1 wrote: »It's not so much that potatoes are bad, but the process of converting potatoes into a pile of salty, fatty calorie bomb decadence that engenders so much hate.
You forgot to add delicious to all those adjectives.5 -
Mr. Potato head seems innocent enough.7
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White foods need to check their privilege.9
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halimaiqbal00 wrote: »Why are white pasta and white rice bad? Because they're stripped of their nutrients but I shouldn't worded that better-I mean they're not as healthy as their wholewheat and wholegrain counterparts
The brand of white bread I bought has nearly identical nutrition info as the whole wheat counterpart, aside from the whole wheat having 1 gram more of fibre and half gram less of fat. The only difference between the same brand of white pasta and whole grain pasta I buy is the whole grain has 1 gram more of fibre. Totally stripped of nutrients.
These days, they're better about putting nutrients back into white flour but originally white flour had no fibre or protein (so that it would have a long shelf life because bugs wouldn't want to eat it since it would have no nutritional value to them). Modern nutrition labeling laws actually originated because companies were selling white flour that had no nutritional value (including insufficient calories). So, they made laws making it illegal to sell food without telling people what was actually in it. This is also why companies have more freedom to understate calorie content than to overstate it.
So, the anti-white-starch sentiment originated when white flour really was nutritionally void. Now that people are reading nutrition labels, they're putting protein and fibre back into white flour products. Personally, I'd still usually rather have the whole grain version, but we're at a point where it's mostly down to personal preference.
And potatoes are great as long as we don't pretend they can replace every other vegetable on the plate.2 -
I love potatoes! I eat them pretty much every day.2
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I believe part of the reputation comes from the fact that potatoes are considered to have a pretty high glycemic index. That is, a potato makes you blood glucose level spike. (The degree of spike depends a bit on the type of potato and the way it is cooked -- a boiled potato is not so bad, a baked Russett is the worst.)
Diabetics are often told to avoid potatoes, at least somewhat, for this reason.
A recent study, however, suggested that potatoes are not diet busters, and may even be helpful to efforts to lose weight.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2793831/you-eat-potatoes-slim-dieters-ate-spuds-lost-weight-long-stuck-calorie-controlled-diet.html1 -
SusanMFindlay wrote: »halimaiqbal00 wrote: »Why are white pasta and white rice bad? Because they're stripped of their nutrients but I shouldn't worded that better-I mean they're not as healthy as their wholewheat and wholegrain counterparts
The brand of white bread I bought has nearly identical nutrition info as the whole wheat counterpart, aside from the whole wheat having 1 gram more of fibre and half gram less of fat. The only difference between the same brand of white pasta and whole grain pasta I buy is the whole grain has 1 gram more of fibre. Totally stripped of nutrients.
These days, they're better about putting nutrients back into white flour but originally white flour had no fibre or protein (so that it would have a long shelf life because bugs wouldn't want to eat it since it would have no nutritional value to them). Modern nutrition labeling laws actually originated because companies were selling white flour that had no nutritional value (including insufficient calories). So, they made laws making it illegal to sell food without telling people what was actually in it. This is also why companies have more freedom to understate calorie content than to overstate it.
So, the anti-white-starch sentiment originated when white flour really was nutritionally void. Now that people are reading nutrition labels, they're putting protein and fibre back into white flour products. Personally, I'd still usually rather have the whole grain version, but we're at a point where it's mostly down to personal preference.
And potatoes are great as long as we don't pretend they can replace every other vegetable on the plate.
How did they take the protein out of white flour? Do you mean the fiber? I'm pretty sure the gluten and gliadin remained.3 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »SusanMFindlay wrote: »halimaiqbal00 wrote: »Why are white pasta and white rice bad? Because they're stripped of their nutrients but I shouldn't worded that better-I mean they're not as healthy as their wholewheat and wholegrain counterparts
The brand of white bread I bought has nearly identical nutrition info as the whole wheat counterpart, aside from the whole wheat having 1 gram more of fibre and half gram less of fat. The only difference between the same brand of white pasta and whole grain pasta I buy is the whole grain has 1 gram more of fibre. Totally stripped of nutrients.
These days, they're better about putting nutrients back into white flour but originally white flour had no fibre or protein (so that it would have a long shelf life because bugs wouldn't want to eat it since it would have no nutritional value to them). Modern nutrition labeling laws actually originated because companies were selling white flour that had no nutritional value (including insufficient calories). So, they made laws making it illegal to sell food without telling people what was actually in it. This is also why companies have more freedom to understate calorie content than to overstate it.
So, the anti-white-starch sentiment originated when white flour really was nutritionally void. Now that people are reading nutrition labels, they're putting protein and fibre back into white flour products. Personally, I'd still usually rather have the whole grain version, but we're at a point where it's mostly down to personal preference.
And potatoes are great as long as we don't pretend they can replace every other vegetable on the plate.
How did they take the protein out of white flour? Do you mean the fiber? I'm pretty sure the gluten and gliadin remained.
They completely stripped out the germ and the bran leaving only the endosperm. I was working off memory and you're right; that doesn't take *all* the protein out of the flour, but it takes a significant fraction out (along with all the fibre). They may also have further processed it to lower protein content. I know that most of the B vitamins were also lost - hence why flour is now labeled "enriched" (because they put the B vitamins back in).0 -
You guys will have to pry my sour dough bread out of my hands.5
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SusanMFindlay wrote: »halimaiqbal00 wrote: »Why are white pasta and white rice bad? Because they're stripped of their nutrients but I shouldn't worded that better-I mean they're not as healthy as their wholewheat and wholegrain counterparts
The brand of white bread I bought has nearly identical nutrition info as the whole wheat counterpart, aside from the whole wheat having 1 gram more of fibre and half gram less of fat. The only difference between the same brand of white pasta and whole grain pasta I buy is the whole grain has 1 gram more of fibre. Totally stripped of nutrients.
These days, they're better about putting nutrients back into white flour but originally white flour had no fibre or protein (so that it would have a long shelf life because bugs wouldn't want to eat it since it would have no nutritional value to them). Modern nutrition labeling laws actually originated because companies were selling white flour that had no nutritional value (including insufficient calories). So, they made laws making it illegal to sell food without telling people what was actually in it. This is also why companies have more freedom to understate calorie content than to overstate it.
So, the anti-white-starch sentiment originated when white flour really was nutritionally void. Now that people are reading nutrition labels, they're putting protein and fibre back into white flour products. Personally, I'd still usually rather have the whole grain version, but we're at a point where it's mostly down to personal preference.
And potatoes are great as long as we don't pretend they can replace every other vegetable on the plate.
You can't really make a loaf of bread without protein. White bread flour has a higher percentage of protein than whole wheat flour. That's why a good recipe will recommend adding gluten to a whole wheat loaf to get a better rise (the stretchy protein "fibers"--not in the nutritional sense, but in the sense of a connected string of stuff--help trap the gases that the yeast give off as they eat the sugars in the dough).
White flour is more about extending shelf life by removing the fat (not the fiber or protein), because the fat goes rancid after a while. I know from sad experience that bugs will definitely invade white flour.0 -
I love potatoes and eat them a few times a week on my meager 1250 calorie allowance. Usually with some olive oil and sea salt, but sometimes I get crazy and go baked, or heaven forbid HASH BROWNS. A life without potatoes is not worth living.2
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I love potato
I love bread too, although white bread honestly isn't my favourite.
Potato is pretty good for you, and it's delicious. You don't have to cook it in a way that adds lots of fat etc if you don't want to!
I like some nice roasted potato, personally. Or mashed potatoes
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It's odd that several of you have said that white flour has MORE fat than whole wheat. I had always understood it to be the reverse, and indeed, according to USDA, Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Flour has 1.47g fat per 100g, whereas both the Graham flour and the whole wheat pastry flour from the same maker have 1.67g fat per 100g. "Great Value All Purpose Flour" has ZERO fat.
I believe the fat in wheat is contained in the germ, along with many other nutrients, and the tendency with white flour is to remove the germ along with the bran. My understanding is that this is because the fat in the germ will go rancid, shortening the shelf life - and whole wheat flour does indeed have a shorter shelf life than white. Bob's Red Mill must I think be returning part of the germ to their white flour, as it has a surprisingly high fat content for white flour. Note that none of them has a significant fat content from a dietary point of view.2 -
halimaiqbal00 wrote: »Why are white pasta and white rice bad? Because they're stripped of their nutrients but I shouldn't worded that better-I mean they're not as healthy as their wholewheat and wholegrain counterparts
I don't think this is true. White bread and brown bread have similar nutritional profiles. Plus 'brown' varieties have higher amounts of phytic acid and lectin which can hinder vitamin and mineral absorption. Plus the insoluble bran can harm the digestive tract (soluble fibre from veg is better for me)- especially for people with IBS, Chrones etc.2 -
Also sometimes its not the potato but what you do with it. Baked, mashed and boiled potatos are amazing. Though when you take a potato cut it up and fry it the potato is not as amazing. Though that still dosent mean you should bann fries or chips from your life.1
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halimaiqbal00 wrote: »Why are white pasta and white rice bad? Because they're stripped of their nutrients but I shouldn't worded that better-I mean they're not as healthy as their wholewheat and wholegrain counterparts
Are they? Or do you just believe that?
Have a read of this article comparing white and brown rice - http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/brown-rice-vs-white-rice/
Alan Aragon on potatoes:
White potatoes and sweet potatoes have complementary nutritional differences; one isn’t necessarily better than the other. For instance, sweet potatoes have more fiber and vitamin A, but white potatoes are higher in essential minerals, such as iron, magnesium, and potassium.
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I think that the bad rap white potatoes have goes right back to the 1970s when any diet to reduce weight stipulated NO potatoes, along with every other starchy veg eg parsnips. The 'spuds are bad' thing has just stuck. I love them....boiled, mashed, baked, roasted and could not have lost the 51lbs I did without them because I just wouldn't have stuck with it! All hail the common spud!!!
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Because they taste like butts, with the lone exception being redskin potatoes; those are truly fantastic.1
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fitoverfortymom wrote: »I love potatoes and eat them a few times a week on my meager 1250 calorie allowance. Usually with some olive oil and sea salt, but sometimes I get crazy and go baked, or heaven forbid HASH BROWNS. A life without potatoes is not worth living.
I adore olive oil on potatoes. I like it even better than butter. Sacrilege, I know. I made the switch after my first high cholesterol test came back and I've never looked back.0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »fitoverfortymom wrote: »I love potatoes and eat them a few times a week on my meager 1250 calorie allowance. Usually with some olive oil and sea salt, but sometimes I get crazy and go baked, or heaven forbid HASH BROWNS. A life without potatoes is not worth living.
I adore olive oil on potatoes. I like it even better than butter. Sacrilege, I know. I made the switch after my first high cholesterol test came back and I've never looked back.
Agreed. My favorite way to eat potatoes is roasted with a bit of olive oil and salt. I like it better than mashed, and I love the skin prepared this way. I'll have mashed potatoes with some butter on Thanksgiving, probably, but it's quite rare I eat them that way, anymore. (Now, I do have good fries on occasion, but I neither delude myself they are low cal nor blame the potatoes for that fact.)0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »fitoverfortymom wrote: »I love potatoes and eat them a few times a week on my meager 1250 calorie allowance. Usually with some olive oil and sea salt, but sometimes I get crazy and go baked, or heaven forbid HASH BROWNS. A life without potatoes is not worth living.
I adore olive oil on potatoes. I like it even better than butter. Sacrilege, I know. I made the switch after my first high cholesterol test came back and I've never looked back.
My Portuguese hubby does this, but he adds a can of tuna, and sometimes even a boiled egg. Weird combination but he swears by it
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Oh, why do they have a bad rap? Because many people are insane when it comes to "carbs" lately. At least it's fair to call plain potatoes carbs -- drives me up the wall when "carbs" get blamed for chips or fries being high cal or for the calories that come from the butter and cream they put on their potatoes (not that there's anything wrong with these ingredients, but they sure aren't carbs, and IMO not necessary for potatoes to taste good).
The white thing is just simplistic thinking and often relates to not knowing the facts or reading labels (when it comes to something like white vs. whole wheat pasta) or even -- I swear I've run into this on MFP, and it boggled my mind -- thinking that a "white potato" must be extra processed or some inferior version of the sweet potato. (No, they are different tubers entirely, of course, and both are reasonably nutritious.)5 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »fitoverfortymom wrote: »I love potatoes and eat them a few times a week on my meager 1250 calorie allowance. Usually with some olive oil and sea salt, but sometimes I get crazy and go baked, or heaven forbid HASH BROWNS. A life without potatoes is not worth living.
I adore olive oil on potatoes. I like it even better than butter. Sacrilege, I know. I made the switch after my first high cholesterol test came back and I've never looked back.
Agreed. My favorite way to eat potatoes is roasted with a bit of olive oil and salt. I like it better than mashed, and I love the skin prepared this way. I'll have mashed potatoes with some butter on Thanksgiving, probably, but it's quite rare I eat them that way, anymore. (Now, I do have good fries on occasion, but I neither delude myself they are low cal nor blame the potatoes for that fact.)
I hear you on the fries. I really only eat them when we're on vacation. There are places on the boardwalk with dedicated fryers that make them in peanut oil where I can get them reliably gluten free and and they are fabulous. The rest of the year, I just don't bother. I can't get them reliably gluten free and they're just not that good. Isn't it weird that a silly stand on the boardwalk has the best fries?3 -
JustMissTracy wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »fitoverfortymom wrote: »I love potatoes and eat them a few times a week on my meager 1250 calorie allowance. Usually with some olive oil and sea salt, but sometimes I get crazy and go baked, or heaven forbid HASH BROWNS. A life without potatoes is not worth living.
I adore olive oil on potatoes. I like it even better than butter. Sacrilege, I know. I made the switch after my first high cholesterol test came back and I've never looked back.
My Portuguese hubby does this, but he adds a can of tuna, and sometimes even a boiled egg. Weird combination but he swears by it
A boiled egg over potatoes sounds delicious! Is the yolk still soft? I love eggs. Eggs and potatoes are two of my favorite foods.1 -
Nothing wrong with them, its 'food racism' like someone else pointed out.0
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GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »JustMissTracy wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »fitoverfortymom wrote: »I love potatoes and eat them a few times a week on my meager 1250 calorie allowance. Usually with some olive oil and sea salt, but sometimes I get crazy and go baked, or heaven forbid HASH BROWNS. A life without potatoes is not worth living.
I adore olive oil on potatoes. I like it even better than butter. Sacrilege, I know. I made the switch after my first high cholesterol test came back and I've never looked back.
My Portuguese hubby does this, but he adds a can of tuna, and sometimes even a boiled egg. Weird combination but he swears by it
A boiled egg over potatoes sounds delicious! Is the yolk still soft? I love eggs. Eggs and potatoes are two of my favorite foods.
Yes, he keeps the egg runny...You'd love this one! I tried it, but had to put hot sauce on it as I like more kick to my food..lol...I eat eggs and potatoes almost every day, my fave standby foods, easy and cheap too!
Edited: I didn't realize I said boiled egg...maybe it's not quite boiled..between boiled and runny 1 -
JustMissTracy wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »JustMissTracy wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »fitoverfortymom wrote: »I love potatoes and eat them a few times a week on my meager 1250 calorie allowance. Usually with some olive oil and sea salt, but sometimes I get crazy and go baked, or heaven forbid HASH BROWNS. A life without potatoes is not worth living.
I adore olive oil on potatoes. I like it even better than butter. Sacrilege, I know. I made the switch after my first high cholesterol test came back and I've never looked back.
My Portuguese hubby does this, but he adds a can of tuna, and sometimes even a boiled egg. Weird combination but he swears by it
A boiled egg over potatoes sounds delicious! Is the yolk still soft? I love eggs. Eggs and potatoes are two of my favorite foods.
Yes, he keeps the egg runny...You'd love this one! I tried it, but had to put hot sauce on it as I like more kick to my food..lol...I eat eggs and potatoes almost every day, my fave standby foods, easy and cheap too!
Edited: I didn't realize I said boiled egg...maybe it's not quite boiled..between boiled and runny
I am going to try this one too. Sounds great!1
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